She felt nauseated as she watched each Orc shrivel until their skin clung to their bones, armor clattering to the ground. Their flesh and magic were sucked away into the Demon Lord.
Within mere seconds, not a single one of the two hundred thousand Orcs was left alive; even their cries had been abruptly cut short.
Those in the chat group were only watching via livestream. But Futaba and Rio, seeing it all directly from above, had far more intense reactions.
"Urgh!!!"
Both turned deathly pale, retching.
Even if they were monsters, from a human perspective, these creatures stood upright and spoke, indicating intelligence.
And even if they hadn't been intelligent, watching that many living creatures die in such a brutal way was horrifying.
That was over two hundred thousand sentient lives snuffed out in seconds.
Futaba and Rio's minds reeled, on the verge of shock.
Velzard glanced at them and shook her head inwardly.
She thought, "These two that Rei Ao brought have rather weak nerves."
"Uwoooaaah!!!"
In the flames, the Orc Demon Lord's aura grew drastically stronger, having devoured his entire army.
[Monster]: Orc Demon Lord "Geld"
[Level]: 48
[Abilities]: "Starved," "Corrode-and-Consume,"
Sure enough, he had grown much more powerful, far beyond his previous state.
He was pushing himself up, his scorched body showing signs of mending even in the flames.
Yet Rei Ao's expression remained composed as the Demon Lord's massive frame loomed higher.
"Rooaar!!!"
The Orc Demon Lord roared at Rei Ao, but the spit and shockwave were dispelled by an invisible force.
"Time's about up," Rei Ao remarked calmly.
In the next moment
"!!!"
The roar cut off abruptly.
Boom!!!
Just as the Orc Demon Lord rose, his body collapsed heavily, unable to stand again, completely silent.
"Tch, you can devour all you likebut you can't repair your soul."
With a wave of his hand, the intense flames on the Demon Lord's body vanished.
"Huh? What happened to him?"
At that moment, VeluVelzard and the others descended, and Torenie voiced the question everyone in the chat group was wondering. From their viewpoint, after devouring his entire army, the Orc Demon Lord's power had looked terrifyinghow did he suddenly just collapse?
"He's dead," Velzard said with a blink.
"His soul has been destroyed; that's just an empty shell."
"The flames" Velgrynd said, looking at Rei Ao in awe. "Your flames burned away his soul?"
She had never heard of fire that could incinerate a soul, let alone the soul of a proper Demon Lord-type.
"There's nothing to be surprised about," Rei Ao replied. "Maybe you can do that someday, too."
He was implying that with the right evolution of her blessing, Velgrynd could also master the True Crimson Flame.
"Mnng, II get it."
Velgrynd blushed in delight, feeling reassured that Rei Ao wouldn't forget about her.
" "
Slightly jealous, Velzard stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Rei Ao's neck, biting his ear. "What about me?"
Rei Ao chuckled. "I'm not neglecting you, either, but your power is already incredibly strong."
"Mm."
She couldn't deny it. 'Eternal Freeze' was already edging beyond this world's top-tier abilities.
"That's why," Rei Ao continued, "I plan to fulfill our promisetoday."
He was referring to the deal to take on that certain Demon LordGuy the Red Primordialhead-on!
~~~
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Chapter 236: Shion and Shuna...
"Princess, hang in therewe have to survive!"
In the depths of the forest
A purple-haired woman with a single horn protruding from her head was shouting anxiously.
On her back, she carried a severely injured, pink-haired girl.
"Mm"
The pink-haired girl responded weakly, her face pale and bloodless.
They were not human:
Each had a horn on her head, marking them as members of the Oni race living in the Great Forest of Jura.
Not long ago, the Oni tribe had met with disasterthe invasion of the Orc Army.
Facing the enormous horde of Orcs, the Oni were powerless to resist.
In order to preserve what was left of their people, they scattered and fled.
This woman had escaped eastward with the princess.
During their escape, the princess received a life-threatening injury.
"What should I do?!"
The purple-haired woman was frantic.
If this went on, the princess would die!
Gritting her teeth, she decided to head back to their villageeven if it was risky.
All she could do was hope the Orc Army had already left.
"Princess, hold on! I'm taking you back to the village!"
She used all her strength to return to the village, only to findnothing but ruins.
There was no sign of anyone. The prince and their people had vanished.
"Why did this happen"
Kneeling on the ground, the woman bit her lip, as though she had lost all hope.
Until
"Rei Ao, I've found two interesting little ones over here~"
A cool voice cut through the wind against her face.
Startled, the purple-haired Oni woman spun around. "Who's there?!"
She saw an elegantly dressed woman, and not far off, more people approaching under Rei Ao's lead.
Having just dealt with the Orc Demon Lord in this area, Velzard had discovered these two Oni.
The purple-haired Oni kept her guard up, protecting the fading aura of the pink-haired princess at her back. "Who are you people?" she asked warily.
Treyni stepped forward.
"I'm Treyni, caretaker of the Great Forest."
"Caretaker of the Great Forest"
The purple-haired Oni paused.
She seemed to recall the princess once mentioning the tree sprites of the Great Forest of Jura.
Treyni glanced at the pink-haired Oni princess, whose breathing was weak, and frowned. "That girl behind youshe's the Oni Princess, right?"
She remembered that the Oni had territory in this region, and from the look of the ruined settlement now occupied by the Orc Army, Treyni had a pretty good guess what had happened.
The purple-haired woman bowed her head with a heavy heart. "Yes, she is. Pleasesave her, your Highness the forest caretaker!"
""
Treyni shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but in her current state, there's nothing I can do."
She lacked the power to pull someone back from the brink of death.
"Princess"
Despair filled the Oni's eyes as she lowered her head, fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
It was the first time she had felt so powerless.
Rei Ao, who had not spoken this whole time, studied the two Oni, feeling an odd sense of familiarity.
[Monster]: Great Oni
[Level]: 13
[Ability]: "Oni Bloodline"
[Monster]: Great Oni
[Level]: 14
[Ability]: "Oni Bloodline"
From his True Sight, he saw that neither of them had a name, but Rei Ao still had his suspicions.
They were likely the ones known as Shion and Shuna, who had been named by Rimuru in the original story.
Velgrynd noticed he was staring at them and asked curiously, "Rei Ao, what do you have in mind for them?"
Velzard smiled broadly. "You've got the power to heal her, right? If you lend a hand, I'll bet they'll be grateful enough to weep tears of joy."
Rei Ao gave a slight smirk. "Don't make it sound like I'm preying on the weak."
Though, he did intend to take the two in.
The "Shion" look-alike overheard their exchange. As if clutching at a lifeline, she immediately knelt and bowed her head to Rei Ao. "Mister Human! Please save our princess! I'll devote my entire life to serving you if you do!"
""
Watching this, Treyni felt a strong sense of dj vuit was exactly how she had begged for help not long ago.
Rei Ao stepped forward, raising his hand. A golden light enveloped the pink-haired girl.
A glimmer of hope lit up in the purple-haired Oni's eyes, but Rei Ao informed her, "I'm only stabilizing her condition for now."
Looking down at the kneeling "Shion," he asked calmly, "What happened to you two?"
""
"Shion" took a moment to regain her composure before respectfully describing the Oni clan's tragedy at the hands of the Orc Army. Her voice was heavy with pain and anger.
"Sigh What happened to the Oni is happening all over the forest," Treyni said sadly.
The Oni had been nearly annihilated, a cruel and brutal tragedybut it was not an isolated incident. Countless other small races and tribes in the forest might be suffering the same fate.
"Sir, I beg youplease save the Princess!"
"Shion" pleaded again, prostrating herself. She had sensed how easily Rei Ao had stabilized the princess's condition, and it gave her genuine hope.
"I can save her."
Rei Ao: "But from today onward, both of you will belong to me. You'll serve me for the rest of your lives."
Arms folded over his chest, he continued, "Call it what you willexploiting the weak or something elsebut I prefer to call it a trade."
"This"
"Shion" hesitated.
She didn't care what happened to herselfbut the princess
Seeing the princess still at death's door, "Shion" steeled herself. Biting her lip, she bowed her head. "I accept, my lord. As for the princess once she's awake, I'll do my best to explain and persuade her."
It didn't matter if they ended up as someone else's vassals; the princess's life was all that mattered now.
If the princess ultimately refused after waking, "Shion" would willingly offer her own life in repentance.
"Good," Rei Ao said with a small nod.
The golden light at his fingertip shone brighter, and the pink-haired girl's injury-riddled body visibly changed.
Before their eyes, her wounds began to close at remarkable speed.
Her bloodless complexion regained color, and her breathing and heartbeat grew steadily stronger.
~~~
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Chapter 237: Level 100!
Before long, "Shuna" opened her eyes.
"W-Whatwhat happened to me?"
She sat up, her hand pressed to her dizzy head.
"Princess!!!"
Seeing that she was awake, "Shion" crawled toward her excitedly.
"I"
Her memories gradually returned. "Shuna" recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness.
"This isour village"
Gazing around, the once-familiar surroundings were now in ruins, and it pained "Shuna" to see it.
The Oni clan was no more. She had no idea whether her brother or the others were alive or dead.
"Treyni, find them somewhere to rest. I need to step away for a bit,"
Rei Ao spoke up at this point.
Turning to "Shion," he said, "Explain everything to her yourself. When I come back, I want your answer."
With those words, he vanished from where he stood, along with Velzard and Velgrynd.
"He's"
"Shuna" only remembered the moments before she lost consciousness. She had no clue what had happened afterward. Besides the now-departed Rei Ao and the other two, she didn't recognize any of them.
"Princess, it'sa long story"
"Shion" bit down on her lip, at a loss for how to explain everything.
Was she supposed to say she'd 'sold off' the princess while she was unconscious?
"Everyone," Treyni interjected, "this isn't the best place to talk. Please allow me to take you all to the territory of the tree sprites."
Shizuehad no objections.
Futaba and Rio, still reeling from the flood of recent events, followed in silence.
Elsewhere
"This castle looks pretty good," Rei Ao remarked as he and the other two stood at the gates of a massive fortress.
He looked over at Velzard. "So, that guy's here?"
Velzard nodded. "Yes, this place belongs to the Primordial RedGuy Crimson."
"Rei Ao, are you sure it's okay to just barge in and challenge him like this?" Velgrynd asked worriedly.
Even though she sensed that Rei Ao's power had grown again after defeating the Orc Demon Lord, he still hadn't reached "Disaster" level. That was her impression, based on what she knew.
[Name]: Rei Ao
[Level]: 56
He'd gained another level after killing the Orc Demon Lord, but 56 was still a fair distance from Velzard and Velgrynd in terms of perception.
Guy Crimson, the Primordial Red, was definitely stronger than Velgryndlikely at level 64 or beyond.
Even so, Rei Ao simply smirked, completely at ease. "Don't forget, I hold the position of 'Demon Lord.'"
Hearing that, both Velzard and Velgrynd's eyes lit up.
"So you really can become a Demon Lord?"
Before Rei Ao could answer
Whoosh!
A gale roared up, and a vortex of black-red wind suddenly formed in front of them.
"Two Dragonoids and a human with Calamity-level powerwhat an odd group. Andwho allowed you to set foot here?!"
Boom!
His tone was equal parts casual arrogance and regal authority, followed by an explosive gust of energy surging toward the trio.
"Guy, oh mighty Primordial Redso you'd pull small tricks like this to greet your guests?"
Velzard murmured, swinging her pale arm in a single motion. An icy wind buffeted aside the opposing force.
As she spoke, a lone figure appeared:
A red-haired man wearing an open coat over his bare, muscular upper body, with a black hairband around his head.
He eyed Rei Ao and the others with amused curiosity.
"Uninvited visitors don't qualify as guests," he said.
"State your business, or I'll see to it that this world loses two Dragonoids."
His voice was domineering and haughtyfitting for the power he possessed. This, of course, was precisely what got under Velgrynd's skin.
"Hmph! Arrogant blowhard. Someday someone's going to teach you a lesson," she snapped.
"Not somedaytoday someone will teach him a lesson."
Rei Ao stepped forward with a smile.
Guy's eyes widened for a moment as Rei Ao declared, "Guy CrimsonDark Emperoroldest of the Demon Lords Are you ready to get pummeled?"
"Tch? Hahahahaha!"
Guy burst into laughter as though hearing a ridiculous joke. Rei Ao didn't bother interrupting him. After a few moments, Guy's laughter stopped. His gaze cooled.
"You. A mere Calamity-level. Planning to beat me?"
He couldn't fathom where Rei Ao got such confidence. Were the two Dragonoids behind him giving him courage? Dragonoids were indeed strong, but Guy believed himself capable of beating them.
Indeed, Guy's power was far above Velzard's.
[Name]: Guy Crimson
[Level]: 70
[Ability]: "Pride King,"
And that was not a level Rei Ao could touch at present. But
